Parts Usually Used

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Woundwort is a low perennial plant to 1 foot tall; the slender, creeping
rootstock produces ascending or procumbent stems which grow from 1-3
feet in height. These slightly hairy, square, grooved stems may be
solitary or in clusters. Entire or slightly toothed, the petioled,
opposite leaves are ovate to oblong-lanceolate in shape. Tubular and
two-lipped, the tiny purple flowers grow in dense terminal spikes,
blooming from May to October. The fruit is an ovoid, smooth, angled
nutlet.

Legends, Myths and Stories

Woundwort is a highly regarded European wound herb, widely used to
stop bleeding. In the past, the flower spikes were considered to resemble
the throat, and under the Doctrine of Signatures theory, whereby plants
cure those parts of the body that they most resemble, self-heal or
woundwort was also used for inflammations of the mouth and throat.

In Chinese medicine, the flower spikes are used, and are known as
xia ku cao, literally meaning "summer dry herb."

The leaves and young shoots are used by Western herbalists to stop
bleeding and applied fresh in poultices as emergency first aid on
clean cuts. Culpeper recommended them for "green" (fresh) wounds,
suggesting that they would be ideal to "close the lips of them" in
the days before stitches.

There are other plants that are called woundwort; Stachys palustris,
a cousin of the wood betony; and Stoneroot (Collinsonia canadensis)
also called Hardrock, Horse-weed, Heal-all, Rich-weed, Ox-balm, Knob-root,
also from the mint family, with greenish-yellow flowers of a peculiar
balsamic fragrance.

In China a tea made from the flowering plant is considered cooling,
and was used to treat the liver and aid in circulation; used for conjunctivitis,
boils, and scrofula; diuretic
for kidney ailments.
Research suggests the plant possesses antibiotic, hypotensive,
and antimutagenic qualities. Contains the antitumor and diuretic compound
ursolic acid.